Bay Area Production Begins On Flying Cars — 3,500 Preordered

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A Silicon Valley company says it has begun manufacturing the world's first flying car, but when it will reach customers is still unknown.

"We are happy to report that production of the first flying car has started on schedule," Jim Dukhovny, CEO of Alef Aeronautics, said in a statement in December. "The team worked hard to meet the timeline, because we know people are waiting. We're finally able to get production off the ground."

Since 2015, Alef Aeronautics has been working on creating the world's first flying car. The Bay Area startup received Federal Aviation Administration approval in 2023 to test the vehicle.

Dubbed "Model A," the fully electric vehicle is expected to carry up to two people, while having the capability to drive about 200 miles on the road and a flying range of up to 110 miles.

Alef vehicles are cars first and aircraft second, the company told Patch.

"The primary usage will be driving on the roads," according to a company spokesperson. "Once tires separate from the ground, all the Ultralight Aircraft rules of where and how the car will be flown will be applied."

On the ground, all electric vehicle regulations will be applied to the car, while ultralight aircraft regulations will apply when it's in the air, according to the company.

Each vehicle will be manufactured in the Bay Area. Although the company is now working on manufacturing the first set of vehicles, which will be delivered to only a few customers, it still may take several months to create each handmade model, according to the company.

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"Each car takes several months to assemble, test individual parts, test systems, and flight tests," an Alef Aeronautics spokesperson told Patch. "It's hard to say when the first car will be ready."

Once a car passes all its safety tests, according to the company, it will be ready to be shipped out to customers.

The early hand-made models will be delivered for the purpose of having customers test the flying cars in a "real world environment, under very controlled conditions," according to the company.

Alef will train those few select customers, and any feedback will be used to manufacture more cars and deliver pre-orders.

"Rigorous testing of individual parts and a large number of test flights of the assembled car are involved during production," according to the company. "This process will allow Alef to optimize manufacturing before automated mass production."

Officials at the company say it has received 3,500 pre-orders so far. The car is currently priced at $300,000.

Earlier this year, the company released footage of the Model A flying over a car in a city and driving off-road.